Automatic car-brake



4 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

T. DE COAR & W. KEAST.

AUTOMATIC GAR BRAKE.

No. 379,687. Pafented Mar. 20, 1888.

INYENTOR:

BY wjzM I ATTORNEYS WITNESSES: 0 6 8858 N PETERS. Phntu'mhographcr, Washmgiun. 07C,

k m A T \X Z A A 4 Sheets-Sheet 2.

T. DE GOAR & W. KEAST.

AUTOMATIC GAR BRAKE.

Patented Mar. 20,

(No Model.)

(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 3.

T. DE OOAR & W. KEAST-.-

AUTOMATIC OAR BRAKE.

No. 379,687. Patented Mar. 20, 1888.

WITNESSES: I Y'INVENTOR: W K 450 aw/IR B 6, KW

ATTORNEYS.

4 Sheets-Sheet '4.

(No Model.)

T. DE GOAR 8v W. KEAST.

AUTOMATIC GAR. BRAKE.

No. 879,687. Patented Mar. 20, 1888.

ATTORNEYS.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS DE COAR AND VILLIAM KEAST, OF RUSSELL GULOH, COLORADO.

AUTOMATIC CAR-BRAKE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent. No. 379,687. dated March 20, 1888.

Application filed December 20, 1887. Serial No. 258,419.

.To (L'ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, Tnonas DE COAR and WILLIAM KEAST, of Russell Gulch, in the county of Gilpin and State of Colorado, have invented a new and Improved Automatic Car- Brake, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to carbrakes, the object of the invention being to provide a brake which will automatically act to check the mo mentum of the car as the tension on the drawbar is released, the parts being so arranged that the brakes of each car of the train may be applied at once in case of imminent danger, or so that if any car should break away from the train it would be i m mediately stopped.

Another great advantage arising from the use of our improved brake is that cars pro vided with our brake, when standing upon a siding, will be held against any accidental movement until their draw-bars are under tension.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification,

in which similar figures of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a plan view of two car-trucks provided with our improved form of brake, the parts being represented as they would appear with the body of the car removed. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional elevation taken just inside the wheels of the car. Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of the friction-clutch and its operating mechanism, the draw-bar being shown as it appears when disconnected. Fig. 4 is a central longitudinal sectional view of the friction-clutch. Fig. 5isa plan view of the automatic coupler. Fig. 6 is a central longitudinal sectional view of the same, and Fig. 7 is a perspective view representing the central connections of our improved car-braking system. Fig. Sis a detail view showing the brake-block and its connections. Fig. 9 is a detail View of one of the clutch-sections; and Fig. 10 is a perspective view illustrating various parts of our invention.

In constructing the brake forming the sub ject-matter of this application we key an inclined-faced wheel, 10, to one of the vehicleaxles, this wheel being made integral with or rigidly connected to a sleeve, 11, upon which there is mounted a chain-wheel, 12, that is (No model.)

formed with sockets 13, that'are adapted to receive and hold shoes 14, which in operation are brought into frictional contact with the inclinedi'aced wheel 10.

The chain-wheel 12 is provided with a collar, 15, that is engaged by the bifurcated end of a lever, 16, said lever being supported by a bracket which is secured to the floor-timbers of the car. To the upper arm of the lever 16 we connect a link, 17, which in turn is connected to a bell-crank lever, 18, and this lever 18 is connected to a draw-bar, 19, at one end of which there is formed a book, 20, the other end of the bar being connected to a lever, 21, that is pivotally mounted at a, the construc- -tion described being that employed in con nection with each car-truck, or, in the case of a streetcanwith each car-axle. The lever 21 is normally held in a line at aboutright angles to the length of the car, but is connected to a spring, 22, which normally acts to throw the lever in the direction of the arrow, (shown in connection therewith in Fig. 1,) the spring be ing housed within a case, 23.

To the wheel 12 there are connected chains 24 and 25,which chains are in turn connected to aperpendicular lever, 2b, which is connected with a horizontal lever, 27, by a link, 28, the lever 26 being suspended from [he flooring of the car by a shackle. 29. The lever 27 is pi votally mounted at b, and is connected at one end with a spring, 30, that is inclosed within a case or housing, 31. To the lever 27 we connect rods 32, which are in turn connected to arms 33,carried by the brake-bars 34, these brake bars being provided with eccentric bearings 36, formed with side flanges, 37, between which flanges the blocks 38 carrying the brake-shoes 39 rest. These blocks 38 are suspended from the truck-frame by links 40, and are normally held from engagement with the peripheral faces of the wheels by springs 41.

At each end of the car we mount a flat bar, 44,which is formed with an eye, 45, that is en tered by the hook 20 of the rod or bar 19. Beneath the rod or bar 19 we arrange a safety rod or chain, 50, which chain is connected to lever-arms 52, that are suspended upon shackles 53, and to these levers 52 we rigidly connect expanding fingers 54, which bear against the under side of the bars 44. l

The rods or chains 50 are all connected,and

. 'car;

2 state? the forward rod or bar is connected with the engine or tender, so that in case of imminent danger the engineer may draw upon the bars, which will cause them to rock the levers 52 and throw the bars 44 upward against the tension of springs 56,which normally act to hold the eyes of the bars 44 in engagement with the hooks 20. Immediately after the hooks 20 are released the spring 22 will act to throw the lever 21 in the direction of its arrow, and as the lever is so thrown the rods 19 will move in the direction of their arrows,and in moving will throw the two sections of the friction-brake into engagement, thus causing the tightening of the chains upon the wheels 12 and the drawing of the lever 27 in the direction of the arrow, (shown in connection therewith,) and as the lever 27 so moves, the brake-bars 34 will be rocked, the brake-shoes will be pressed against the peripheral face of the wheels and the momentum of the cars will be checked.

Any means may be employed for coupling the rods 44-such, for instance, as the turnbuckle shown at 59, or such an automatic coupling device as that shown in Figs. 5 and 6, wherein there is represented a case, 57, having a spring-catch, 58, which passes downward through an opening formed in the upper side of the case to engage with hooks 60, formed at the ends of the bars 44. A lifting-lever, 61,

is arranged so that when it is desired to uncouple the cars the spring catch 58 may be drawn upward.

From the construction described it will-also be seen that as long as the bars 44 and 19 are under tension the lever 2l'will be. held in a line substantially at right angles to that of the but when the tension is slackened the spring 22 will be free to act to bring about the movement of the parts hereinbefore described. If the bars 44 have been disconnected from the hooks 20, and it is desired tovreconnect said parts, this may be done by means of a chain, 63, which leads to a vertical shaft, 64, having a hand-wheel, 65.

If desired, bridle-chains 01. may be arranged between the chains 24 and 25, as clearly shown in Fig. 10.

Having thus described our invention, we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 2. In a car-brake, the combination, with a friction-clutch, of longitudinal bars, connections between said bars and one of the clutchsections,a central lever towhich the longitudinal bars are connected, a spring arranged in connection therewith, chain-wheels carried by one of the clutch-sections, connections between said wheels and the lever 27 aspring arranged in connection with said lever, brake-bars 34, carrying eccentrics 36, having side flanges, 37, brake-blocks, links by which said blocks are suspended, and springs arranged in connection with said links, substantially as described.

- 3. In a car-brake, the combinal ion, with an inclined-faced wheel rigidly connected to one of the car-axles and formed with a sleeve, 11. of a chain-wheel formed with shoe-sockets and mounted to slide on the sleeve 11, longitudinal bars, connections between said bars and the wheel 12, a lever, 21, to which the longitudinal bars are connected, a spring, 22, arranged in connection therewith, a lever, 27, chains leading from the chain-wheels to said lever, a spring, 30, to which the lever 27 is connected, brake-bars,and connection between the brakebars and the lever 27 all substantially as described.

4. 1n acar-brake, the combination, with longitudinal bars formed with hooks 20, of bars 44, engaging with said hooks, a rod or chain, 50, levers 52, to which said rod or chain is connected, and fingers carried by said lever and arranged to bear against the under faces of the bars 44, substantially as described.

THOMAS DE OOAR. WILLIAM KEAST.

Witnesses: 1

CHARLES H. FRANKS, J OSEPH GALLER. 

